Natural Well-Being

By Rachel Mary Carr

There is scientific evidence which proves stepping out into nature for some mindful moments improves your mental health and well-being. If you are feeling low or anxious, surrounding yourself with nature lowers stress levels and improves your mood. Here are some tips on how to harness the natural world to rebalance the mind and body.

Walking amongst trees and plants will decrease blood pressure as we inhale phytoncides, these are chemicals emitted by the plant, that reduce the stress hormone cortisol which causes anxiety and depression. Scientists have found that when people spend a few hours in forests, woods, parks and other places with trees, they experience increased immune function. The Japanese practice of visiting these natural surroundings for therapeutic reasons is known as shinrin yoku – forest bathing, and it has mental, physical and spiritual health benefits. When walking through the woods, or whatever your chosen path may be, look closely at the leaf veins to achieve a relaxing effect. These botanical details are called fractals, a repeated geometric motif, which lights up the same areas of the brain as listening to music. Snail shells and the outline of trees against the sky have them too, even in the autumn/winter months when the leaves have fallen. Outdoor life can be a very sensory experience and it is not only what we see that has an effect on our well-being. Take a handful of soil, with its billions of microorganisms and Mycobacterium vaccae, and inhale. It causes cytokine levels to rise, which will stimulate the serotonin neurons in your brain responsible for regulating your mood, improving happiness and anxiety. This is exactly how antidepressants work, although nature’s pharmaceutical is not a substitute for prescribed medication.

Being near the sea, rivers or lakes, or even ponds and fountains, can help you relax as stress falls away due to the sound of water decreasing cortisol production. MRI scans have shown activity in our brains move away

from fight or flight towards rest and relaxation. Different locations and terrain, whether it is by the water, deep in the forest or out in the open countryside, will attract a myriad of feathered friends. People have reported that birdsong is a calming source of comfort during times of crises. For example, the sound of a wood pigeon evokes a feeling of nostalgia for the long hot summers of childhood, whereas an owl symbolises endurance. A personal favourite with many is the sweet song of the mistle thrush, reminding us of carefree summer evenings. The link between sound and well-being has been the subject of multiple research papers and has altered how hospitals are built. Roger Ulrich, PhD, a lauded healthcare design researcher, discovered that patient recovery rate improved in a hospital room with a view. A true reflection of his evidence-based research into the effect that exposure to nature has on stress and health is when the NHS brought him onboard as a senior advisor when creating new hospitals. For people unable to access nature directly, BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4 websites have various birdsongs to listen to at home.

Encountering wildlife can be exciting - when we see something beautiful or experience awe, we release levels of dopamine, a positive neurotransmitter, so our mood lifts and we feel motivated. As we make connections with nature and wildlife, or even other humans that we might pass along the way, it reduces anger and fear and increases pleasant feelings. Ecotherapy helps with mild depression and is good for the mind, body and soul, we feel better emotionally which contributes to physical well-being, reducing blood pressure, muscle tension and heart rate. It is instinctive to want to swap our concrete confines for nature; evolution has given us a need to be part of the natural world, with its ancient trees connecting us to our ancestors, absorbing its healing and mood-altering properties. Our bodies respond to the environment, so during summer months, sunlight is a mood booster, releasing serotonin and giving us much needed vitamin D to stave off disease and strengthen the bones. As the days become longer, reaching peak daylight time with summer solstice on 21st June, our circadian rhythms – built-in body clock, change. Our sleep cycle is calibrated with the appearance and disappearance of natural light, giving us more energy and putting us in a better mood. The summer season not only impacts our body temperature and fills our senses as it regulates our biological clock, but it also reduces our pain sensitivity and increases our mental alertness and physical strength. Nature is a gift of medicine for us all, as naturalist David Henry Thoreau once said, ‘All good things are wild, and free’.